EPA Form EPA-4G2-K-97-002, October 1997

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Deciding Whether or Not to Have periodic duct cleaning continues, no evi­ Your Air Ducts Cleaned dence suggests that such cleaning would be detrimental, provided that it is done properly.

cleaning is limited. Since conditions in On the other hand, if a service provider every home are different, it is impossible fails to follow proper duct cleaning pro­ to generalize about whether or not air cedures, duct cleaning can cause duct cleaning in your home would be indoor air problems. For example, an beneficial. inadequate vacuum collection system can release more dust, dirt, and other If no one in your household suffers from contaminants than if you had left the allergies or unexplained symptoms or ducts alone. A careless or inadequately illnesses and if, after a visual inspection trained service provider can damage of the inside of the ducts, you see no your ducts or heating and cooling sys­ indication that your air ducts are con­ tem, possibly increasing your heating taminated with large deposits of dust or and air conditioning costs or forcing you mold (no musty odor or visible mold to undertake difficult and costly repairs growth), having your air ducts cleaned or replacements. is probably unnecessary. It is normal for the return registers to get dusty as You should consider having the air dust-laden air is pulled through the ducts in your home cleaned if: grate. This does not indicate that your air ducts are contaminated with heavy / There is substantial visible mold deposits of dust or debris; the registers growth inside hard surface (e.g., can be easily vacuumed or removed sheet metal) ducts or on other com­ and cleaned. ponents of your heating and cooling system. There are several important On the other hand, if family members points to understand concerning mold are experiencing unusual or unex­ detection in heating and cooling plained symptoms or illnesses that you systems: think might be related to your home environment, you should discuss the sit­ Many sections of your heating uation with your doctor. ERA has pub­ and cooling system may not be lished Indoor Air Quality: An Intro­ accessible for a visible inspec­ duction for Health Professionals that tion, so ask the service provider can be obtained free of charge by con­ to show you any mold they say tacting lAQINFO at the number listed in exists. the back of this booklet. You may obtain another free ERA booklet from lAQINFO You should be aware that entitled The Inside Story: A Guide to although a substance may look Indoor Air Quality for guidance on iden­ like mold, a positive determina­ tifying possible indoor air quality prob­ tion of whether it is mold or not lems and ways to prevent or fix can be made only by an expert them. and may require laboratory anal­ ysis for final confirmation. For You may consider having your air ducts about $50, some microbiology cleaned simply because it seems logi­ laboratories can tell you whether cal that air ducts will get dirty over time a sample sent to them on a clear and should occasionally be cleaned. strip of sticky household tape is While the debate about the value of mold or simply a substance that resembles it.

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